Camphill Ghent | - From...The force of moving water also generates negative ions, healthy and naturally occurring charged particles that have positive effects on mood and energy. Negative

An In-house Monthly ReView for Camphill Ghent and the Camphill Communities in North America 1

From whence comes the amazing beauty now gracing the entry to our community? …From the generosity of the family of Patty Rudges, in whose memory the fountain was created…from Richard Steel, who envisioned the fountain and brought it into being together with Martin, Adam and Joseph, Isaac and Thomas Papas. From Andrea, who planted and cares for the beautifully landscaped garden. Surely also from the blessing of the angelic realm that we trust is supporting us in our endeavor to create a community life of love and beauty, goodness and wisdom, healing and peace.


These photos portray the progress of the fountain, vision becoming reality. People already say again and again how it seems as if the fountain has always been here, being so at home in its garden, welcoming everyone to Camphill Ghent.


Insights from an article Nick found:

“Developed by John Wilkes in the 1970’s, flowforms were inspired by mountain streams and the powerfully revitalizing properties of naturally purified water. The vortex principle, introduced into biodynamic agriculture by Rudolf Steiner, helped

Wilkes to create a series of water features that uses water itself as a force for change, as they allow the water to oxygenate, revitalize and rejuvenate, bringing it back to its natural state.

Due to their highly engineered and naturally inspired structure, flowform fountains utilize a figure eight flow pattern called the lemniscate, which gently folds oxygen into the moving water and invigorates beneficial activity to assist organisms in breaking down unwanted pollutants. Scientific applications have been made used by the agriculture industry which uses flowforms to efficiently treat waste water, for composting, pond health and biodynamic crop treatments. Flowform treated water has also been proven to increase and stimulate plant growth, using the revitalized water to irrigate gardens and landscapes with minimal volume and maximum efficiency.

The force of moving water also generates negative ions, healthy and naturally occurring charged particles that have positive effects on mood and energy. Negative ions are found in the atmosphere around oceans and mountain streams in quantities 10,000 times that of most offices and homes. Coming into contact with negative ions through our bloodstream increases the flow of oxygen to the brain, resulting in improved mood, lower stress levels, decreased drowsiness and more mental energy. The constant motion and figure eight formation of the flowform fountain generates these same negative ions and can enliven a home, office or learning environment along with the soothing sound of a babbling brook. The naturally


humidifying effect of moving water also has an improving effect on air quality and is beneficial for plants and aiding respiratory sensitivities.”

Flowforms also create meeting places for the harmonious interaction and balancing of the spirits of water, earth, sun and air as they dance and play together, bringing peace and joy, healing and renewal, to nature and also to people who sit beside them and let the magic work upon them. We are blessed to have this restorative flowform with its welcoming gesture greeting us at Camphill Ghent. As someone said, “I’m a happier person because of this beauty.”

A wonderful dedication of the flowform fountain took place in memory of Patty on July 1st

with her family, we’ll see pictures in the July ReView (pictures are on our Facebook page).

Deborah

“We’re celebrating midsummer and St. John’s Day today. Although to us it seems the beginning of summer, nature is halfway through its season and the sun has reached its zenith. Hay has been mowed, apple blossoms have turned into tiny green specks of apples to come, fragile


fawns with white spots anxiously stay close to their moms, little fledgling birds are leaving the nests.

The sun has reached its highest point, describing the biggest arc over the sky. The days will slowly be getting shorter as the sun moves south again to bring summer to the southern hemisphere – it is a time of change.

The mysteries of our world lie open to our senses in colors, fragrances, aromas, songs – as Karl König put it: ‘with our whole being we plunge into the revelations of nature like the bee into the calyx of the flower, absorbing warmth, light and beauty.’

We’re out there between father heaven and mother earth who seem to be playing together. The white puffs of clouds floating in the blue sky, the dark, low hanging thunderstorm clouds or the colorful sunsets, we enjoy these days. The birds of prey circling high above while the songbirds jubilate from the roof and treetops. The plant world is stretching its green arms ever higher, the flowers are adorned with their most colorful dancing dresses and the baby animals scurry and prance about.


In the midst of all this, we human beings wander and wonder, with our feet on the ground, our head raised toward the sky and our hearts wide open to all these wondrous miracles.

To wake up to this life of the world that nourishes our soul and spirit is what St. John called us to do with his saying: ‘Change your ways’. Karl König interprets this from R. Steiner’s St. John’s Imagination as follows:

Our errors will be judged and rectified when we acknowledge them,

Hearts will be sifted for the future benefit of human kind,

Substances are densified so that the spirit can reveal itself in matter.

And to end with a thought from the Calendar of the Soul: ‘To work on ourselves we need to lose ourselves but also trustingly seek ourselves in this cosmic light and cosmic warmth.’

And with this we want to light the ceremonial fire with its transformative power.”

Margaret Carlson

What a beautiful opening from Margaret for our St. John’s and Solstice celebration, which had meaning, music, singing and dance! As Joan Weitzner said, “the only thing missing are our Camphill friends from the other places – and the play!” Maybe next year we’ll come together to celebrate on Kee’shoh Meadow. Until then, many of us made conscious new beginnings by casting into the fire papers onto which we’d written things we want to transform and be grateful for and also things we want to bring into greater reality as we move past the sun at its zenith and through the season.


Please welcome our new fundraising/development director Janet Andrade. Janet will have the opportunity to build the development function as its capacity increases. She will be responsible for fundraising including major gifts, annual funds, planned giving and events management. She and Onat will work closely to identify and create programs and initiatives to help further Camphill Ghent’s development objectives.

Janet has worked in nonprofit development for nearly 15 years, having most recently served as the Assistant Foundation Director of Wildwood Foundation. This past Spring she obtained a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from University at Albany and will be starting the Master's of Public Administration program in the Fall.

Janet is excited to join our community as our first Director of Development as she feels that creating a fundraising program from the ground up is exactly what her career and school experiences have been preparing her to do. Having never heard of Camphill prior to interviewing here, she is eager to learn more about our community and each person that is part of it.

Onat

Hello all, well I have to say this was a crazy month for us but we got through it just fine. Starting off with Shirley - she is doing well after her car accident and her new son Kennedy is doing great. Shirley is hoping to return by the end of the summer and we hope she’ll stop by before that to show off her new baby. Erica and family are on the way to the lone star state. We thank Erica for her 5 years of dedication to Camphill and wonderful desserts! And we wish them the best of luck! We’ll miss Erica a lot!!!


So who’s in the kitchen now you might ask? Well, aside from Juan who has been with us a few months and is doing great, we have Naima, our friend who is visiting from Morocco and my son Lucas, both who joined us a few weeks ago and are fitting in really well. You will also see Martin’s son Martin (pronounced Maar-teen) from time to time. Lots of changes in our department but all for the good! Enjoy the summer!

Mark


We’re delighted for the visit of Naima Soulaimani, who is experiencing Camphill life while volunteering in the Kitchen in the morning and in Activities in the afternoon. Naima is the sister of my daughter Rosie’s husband Dris and comes from Morocco. Rosie grew up in Camphill Village so Naima has heard a lot about Camphill over the years and was interested to see what it’s all about. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Naima, her parents and her siblings on several visits to Morocco and what a wonderful, generous and hospitable family they are! So I’m so glad we can extend our Camphill Ghent brand of hospitality to Naima. She is really enjoying her time here and we’re happy to have her!

Deborah

Mot. Palabra. Salita. Word.

June started with our Whitsun Celebration. The festival started with a reading of a particular verse in 15 different languages by 15 of our residents and coworkers. I heard ancient Greek, German, French, Spanish, Norwegian, Russian, English, Filipino and others I can’t remember now. What I do recall is the message of Whitsun – understanding. There is a universal language where we can all understand each other. It may be love, compassion, respect, togetherness or music. Whatever language of understanding you speak, its presence was felt in our Whitsun gathering. What a beautiful opening to our summer festival!

It’s also this month that we welcomed another exhibition at the Joan Allen Art Gallery. The bold and joyful oil paintings of Bob Crimi will adorn our gallery until the end of July. A month cannot go by without a concert! Dorothy Haller, pianist and Christina Porkert, cellist performed a concert titled “Dance of Life”. Dorothy has composed and recorded several compositions for the cello. She and Christina were delighted to offer this free performance to our residents and guests who came from the local community.

To cap our summer festival, we all gathered at the Kee’shoh Meadow to celebrate St. John’s Day. Many attended to hear words offered by Margaret, recorder music, summer songs. As part of our tradition, there was a bonfire where many individuals placed their offerings.


Corrie and Ren has inspired this annual tradition of offerings to the sacred fire, a twofold reflection. One is to look back and find joy and gratitude for the goodness of your recent life and the other is to look ahead and make a specific intention of change as solemn commitment to one’s life purpose. What a wonderful unifying practice that unites the multitudes of traditions in our community – thank you Corrie and Ren!

This month, we also welcomed two new community members. Julia Birch moved in as a new independent resident in the beginning of the month and Janet Andrade joined the office team to lead our fundraising efforts at the end of the month.

June. John. Julia. Janet. Onwards to the month of July!

Onat

Rudy and Joan Perini were among the first residents of Camphill Ghent, moving into their two-bedroom townhome on July 1, 2012. Coming to the area after selling their home of more than 50 years in Clinton Corners, Dutchess County, the couple was ready to downsize and enjoy maintenance-free living. After looking at many retirement communities, Joan said Camphill Ghent appealed because of the beautiful

landscape and the spacious size of the townhome. “We looked at a lot of places that were cramped and you had a view of a parking lot,” said Joan, gesturing from her back porch which looks out on the pond. “Not here.” Both Joan and Rudy, whose nickname is “Red,” love living in the country. One of their sons, Rudy, lives in Ghent so the couple was already somewhat familiar with the area before moving here. “We have two porches and wonderful neighbors,” said Joan.

Married for 62 years, the couple met in 1955 commuting to their respective homes in different areas of New Jersey from their jobs in lower Manhattan. They met on the train going to Hoboken and married six months later. Getting sick of long commutes in an


increasingly congested New Jersey, the Perinis decided to look north for a place to live. The tipping point came when it was taking Rudy an hour to drive 12 miles to work from their Nutley, New Jersey home. Yearning for a more peaceful life, they found a big old farmhouse in Clinton Corners, moved in and raised their three children there.

By then, Rudy was working for IBM in East Fishkill, having earned his bachelor’s degree years earlier in electrical engineering taking classes at night at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. Joan worked as a licensed practical nurse for several years, later finding a job with an interior designer in Millbrook, near where they lived, perfecting her skill in needle crafts. After a short stint living in Austin, Texas from 1986 to 1988 while Rudy worked on a project for IBM, the couple returned to Dutchess County and Rudy retired in 1990.

Rudy earned his pilot’s license and was certified to fly single engine planes, gliders and also gave lessons. His son, Rudy, followed in his footsteps and is a commercial pilot and captain for Delta Airlines who also flies helicopters on the side. Another son, John, lives in Amenia and is a woodworker who specializes in restoration work. Their daughter, Nancy, teaches public health at the University of Rochester.

The couple especially enjoys their maintenance-free lifestyle at Camphill Ghent, as well as a lifestyle that allows them keep to themselves as much as they want while participating in events in the community when they wish. “We couldn’t ask for anything better,” said Joan.

And we couldn’t ask for kinder, better neighbors than the Perini’s, who also like to help out. Rudy mowed Camphill Ghent’s lawns for several years and Joan volunteers in several settings and also enjoys singing in the choir.

Jackie


Florence Morrow celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends on June 4, marking a significant milestone in a long and creative life. Born June 4, 1917 in New York City, Florence was one of five children. She grew up in the tenements of New York, spending the summers with her family at a guest house in Sharon Springs.

She first “met” her husband, Goodwin “Goody” Morrow at the age of 10 when she saw him in a school production of “Pirates of Penzance,” meeting him “officially” when she was 18-years-old. The couple married and lived in New York City before moving to Aberdeen, Maryland where her husband worked as a ballistics engineer and she was a secretary for the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.

The couple had two children, Joel and Phyllis, and Florence was a stay-at-home Mom. “Mom was always extremely creative,” recalls her daughter, Phyllis. “She would throw these elaborate themed birthday parties. If I wanted Chinese food for my birthday, she would make the clothes to match, decorate the house, the furniture.” The couple loved to entertain, dance and throw elaborate dinner parties, according to Phyllis. “She was a 1950s housewife, a Mom of the era but she was always pushing the boundaries.” Florence was an “inveterate punster” who liked to shock people, she told lots of jokes, she was very charming and pretty, said Phyllis.

As Joel left for college in 1962 and Phyllis went off to school in 1968, Florence turned their empty nest into a creative haven, taking up macramé and weaving. “She was suddenly an artist. It became her passion,” said Phyllis. But it wasn’t just the typical macramé that was popular at the time. Florence added found objects like feathers, beads and other items to her macramé designs which ranged from wearable art to wall hangings. It was around this same time that her husband began making silver clasps for her neckpieces, later branching out into silver jewelry. Florence later took up weaving and began to combine it with her macramé work, again adding in unexpected objects to create one-of-a-kind pieces.


She showed and sold her work widely in prestigious venues.

The couple later moved to Great Barrington and after the death of her husband, Florence moved to Camphill Ghent in March 2013. In addition to her two children, Florence has six grandchildren: Ashana, Johannes, Gareth, Alex “Sasha”, Levi and Jesse. She has six great-grandchildren: Taj, Nayana, Olympia, Aria, Winter and Elias.

Jackie

Lina Moya is our newest volunteer caregiver, arriving at Camphill Ghent from Colombia in January. She will spend a year as a resident co-worker living and caring for Adult Home residents in order to gain hands-on experience working directly with elders. “It’s perfect for me,” she said. Lina, 27, comes to us from a Waldorf-inspired school in Colombia and has a master’s degree in psycho-gerontology from the Santiago de Compostela University in Spain. She wanted the opportunity to do practical care work in the field before pursuing her doctorate degree. “This work will really help me improve professionally,” she said. Lina completed the Department of Health Home Health Aide Training in early February and lives upstairs in Aurora. “I really like it here…the place, the residents, the co-workers,” said Lina of her experience here so far. In her free time, Lina visits family living in the tri-state area, enjoys reading and spending time with friends. “I miss my family but I am learning a lot,” she said.

Jackie

Eighteen coworkers (staff and resident coworkers) worked together in June towards sustaining a positive, supportive work culture at Camphill Ghent. Guided by Karen Derreumaux, our group had a really good experience of developing our common values and from these, our common agreements for working together. We look forward to working again with Karen in the fall, gaining understanding and skills in communication and empathic


listening. These are the common agreements to which our group came:

x x

x

x

Deborah

It was amazing that Jos and his team at the Village Maintenance gave us very substantial help in remodeling our Aurora and Zephyr spas into two private pay rooms! Duke and Rich did the hands-on work and it was excellent! The new rooms are beautiful and after a few finishing touches will be ready for occupancy later in July. We thoroughly enjoyed having Duke and Rich participate in the life of Camphill Ghent and they seemed to enjoy our community, too. Martin (Chavez) and I really appreciated working together with them. As did Sam, who was a friendly daily supervisor and got a chance to help, too!


A huge and very heartfelt thank you to Rich, Duke, Jos and Martin (Baumgold) and Camphill Village from all of us at Camphill Ghent!!!

Adam


Dear CG Residents,

We are excited to announce our 2017-18 dates for the upcoming season of The Concerts at Camphill Ghent. As you know our series has been gaining a reputation as one of the finest concert series in our area and so our concerts sell out quickly.

Please reserve your tickets for individual concerts or a subscription for the whole series (6 concerts for the price of 5) with Ivy or on line.

We look forward to sharing music with you!

With best wishes for a wonderful summer,

Gili

October 14 - Piano recital with Gilbert Kalish November 11 - Music and poetry with Inbal Segev - cello, Gili Melamed-Lev - piano and John McManus - actor

Bach, Schumann, Shostakovich, Chopin and Popper December 9 - Paul Green- clarinet, Joel Pitchon - violin, Volcy Palletier - cello, Gili Melamed-Lev - piano Brahms, Schubert and Klezmer music

February 17 - Eugene Drucker - violin, Roberta Cooper - cello, Peter Weitzner - double bass, Gili Melamed-Lev - piano Mozart, Piazzolla, Dvořák March 17 - Joana Genova,- violin, Gili Sharett - Bassoon, Ariel Rudiakov - viola, Nat Parke - cello, Gili Melamed-Lev - piano Mozart, Brahms, Martin May 5 - Robert Martin - cello, students from the Bard Conservatory of music and Gili Melamed-Lev - piano Mozart wind quintet, Schubert double cello quintet


Round about the Roundabout

It is well known – Englishmen are obsessed with something they like to call a “Roundabout”. It was probably designed in Roman times to discourage people from entering the towns, or at least to make them so dizzy that they would present no resistance when being captured. They tried it out in France first and even made them into labyrinths there. Then the British road system was devised. Still today one has to navigate a series of from 3 to 12 roundabouts before arriving in the center of any town: the only advantage to the driver being that if one doesn't know the way, one can just circle (of course anti-clockwise!) for a while before deciding on which road to take. But beware: they can have 3 or even 4 lanes, the outside one being tremendously dangerous, and if you get into the inside one you may be there for a day or two.

There would still be a number of mysteries to solve; like, where did the saying originate: “What you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts”? Is this the reason for its popularity? As this highway fixture is so strongly linked to British humor, there isn't really a proper name for it in America and unfortunately one hears dispassionate descriptions like “traffic circle” or “turning place” - usually dumped at the end of dead-end-alleys and seen by as few a person as possible. We Brits have a very different round about consciousness, not wanting to say that we talk in circles. My fellow countryman, John Baring, only managed to install one such “roundabout” in Camphill Ghent – at the end of the road! But at least one! In the meantime American cities and towns are beginning to copy us and install their own. Some assume that Camphill Ghent only found its home on Route 66 because that road has a roundabout of its own right in the center of Chatham.

By the way, in comparison, Milton Keynes, a town close to where I grew up, has over 300 “real” roundabouts and if you count ones they have just painted onto the road, then over 1000!

Since the early days we have already taken our dear roundabout to the next phase, because it is after all right in front of our main entrance where everyone also arrives for concerts and other events. And it could be the only Camphill roundabout in the world! Paul Burfeind


agreed not to use that space to dump all the snow (and salt) in Winter and helped us to make a circle of pebbles around the outside; inside that we planted a circle of sea buckthorn – a bush that likes salty conditions, as it lives along the coasts of Massachusetts and Maine; apart from looking decorative and thriving in difficult conditions it is also a medicinal plant that has berries full of vitamin C, so much that they are pretty sour! They are also wind pollinators, so they should be happy where they are! The next phase is now ready – the circle has always been a symbol of the sun, so now we have planted shrubs connected to the sun: hypericum (known as St. John's wort) and a quince within the circle. Around them there are some slabs of shale which also have some shine to them.

Now it's YOUR turn for phase 3! Take a look please and imagine what could be missing! I think there is an obvious spot now where something could be placed, and I think it could be a large sculpture. Any ideas? Shall we make some models ourselves? Could it be a welcoming gesture for all our guests and those moving into the Adult Home? Perhaps we want to leave it until I come again and then do some brain-storming? I will be back in October. In the meantime I have a lot to do in Europe – in Scotland and Germany particularly, but I will certainly stay in contact and together with the Camphill Communities in Columbia County we will be planning the Kaspar Hauser Festival for the beginning of November.

So have a great summer full of warmth, light and imagination!

Richard

Mark, and Manfred

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Camphill Ghent | - From...The force of moving water also generates negative ions, healthy and naturally occurring charged particles that have positive effects on mood and energy. Negative